April Board of Trustees meeting recap

Board of Trustees Recap for April 12, 13
 

Editor’s Note: After each Board of Trustees meeting, Western Today provides a recap of decisions and discussion.

 

Trustees Approve Strategic Plan for University

 

Western’s Board of Trustees on Friday approved the University’s Strategic Plan, following 18 months of extensive feedback and development of the plan.

Western President Sabah Randhawa described the plan as a “broad roadmap” to provide guidance to the University and the “the start of a journey and process.”

Randhawa expressed his appreciation to committee members for their “very impressive” work on the plan, which utilized extensive feedback from trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and community members.

Strategic Plan committee co-chair Paqui Paredes, professor of Spanish and chair of the WWU Department of Modern and Classical Languages, and committee member and Western English Professor Bill Lyne discussed the plan with trustees on Thursday, as well as its inclusion of ambitious goals.

“We heard clearly and loudly we need to be better” as a university, Paredes said of feedback to the plan.

The trustees approved the plan by a vote of 7-1, with Trustee Karen Lee opposed. While she felt the plan was “inclusive and thoughtful,” Lee voiced concerns that it was more a statement of values than a strategic plan driving Western objectives. “Is this strategy or a statement of values?” Lee asked.

Lee mentioned Washington State University’s creation of a medical school in Spokane as an example of a clear market-driven strategy. Lee said she also had concerns the plan did not establish a value proposition that clearly sets Western apart as a reason for students and faculty to choose WWU over other schools.

Trustee Chair Sue Sharpe thanked the committee for so “thoroughly engaging the campus committee” to create the plan. Sharpe also said she appreciated Lee providing her own perspective on this issue.

Other trustees spoke strongly in favor of the plan, particularly praising the committee co-chairs Paredes and Brian Burton, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, who was unable to attend the board meeting.

Trustee Betti Fujikado called the strategic plan “a North Star on where we want to be,” adding that accountability was built into the plan with goals and ambitious benchmarks for success. Trustee Earl Overstreet said the plan provides a “strong foundation” as the university moves into the future. Trustee John Meyer said he was “proud to be able to see this process play out” and others said the plan’s goals will be realized as implementation goes into effect, including a branding plan that distinguishes Western from other schools. Student Trustee Trista Truemper said the strategic plan reflects Western values that “the essence of higher education is a transformative process.”

Lyne said the committee members wanted a plan with endurance, so it wouldn’t become quickly obsolete or have to be constantly altered to reflect changes in resources or needs of the state or university.

Provost Brent Carbajal said the plan by its nature is value-driven, with tension between strategy and tactics.

Lee said “hats off to all the work” of the committee and that she “really looks forward to the next phase of the resource planning process.”

In other business, the trustees heard a legislative update by Becca Kenna-Schenk, executive director of Government Relations for Western. Kenna-Schenk said that Western realized a “surprisingly successful” year in the state Legislature, helped by strong state revenue forecasts.

Highlights from the 2018 Legislative session included:  $18.5 million for the State Need Grant program to serve an additional 4,825 students statewide and a commitment to fully-fund the program by 2022.

For Western, legislative funding also included:

  • $1.3 million to establish a new undergraduate degree program in Marine, Coastal and Watershed Sciences;
  • $700,000 to establish a baccalaureate degree program in Early Childhood Education in Kitsap County as part of the Western on the Peninsulas program; 
  • $70,000 in one-time funding to conduct a study exploring the feasibility of creating a four-year degree granting campus on the Kitsap or Olympic Peninsula, with a report on the findings due to the Governor and the Legislature by December 2018;
  • $1.5 million in state bond funding in the 2018 supplemental capital budget to address minor works projects at Western.

 

            In other business, the trustees: